Love Story
by xfilegrl
Summary: Who says fairytales can't have happy endings?
1. Prologue

**Love Story**

Summary: Who says fairytales can't have a happy endings?

**a/n: Okay, so this isn't a song fic, I honestly do love that song, so there might be little lines from it in this story. After having my little mini XF marathon it still bugs me that basically the one time that Mulder & Scully have a happy ending is in "Existence" in season 8. If I had it my way, season 9 would have never happened and our beloved M&S would have lived happily ever after. So this takes place in season 7, sometime after **_**Closure**_**, but then goes back to when I think their relationship started to significantly change. I haven't decided exactly how I am going to write this (or even if it's going to be good) but hopefully it will make sense.**

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"Mulder, this is insane!!!"

"I know it is, Scully. But when have I" he paused to change his sentence "when have _we_ ever done anything that hasn't been insane?"

She knew that he was right, it was never like them to do anything relatively normal or by the rules for that matter. She stared at him, still sitting in front of her on one knee with the velvet black box in his hand.

"I love you, Scully. I know that you love me…so why not? Why not get married?"

"Mulder, don't get me wrong, I do love you, but marriage? Us? I mean, all those years ago did you really picture yourself getting married to me? Getting married at all might I add?"

"You're right, I never imagined getting married…but all I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you."

"But what about the X-Files Mulder, the bureau doesn't necessarily frown upon agents marrying other agents, but we are partners, don't you think that they would split us up. This would be the exact thing that they would need to do that and shut us down"

"None of that matters to me anymore, it hasn't mattered for a really long time. I can't even remember a time when nothing else mattered except for you"

She sighed, knowing that this is exactly the Mulder that she loves and fell in love with in the first place. She leans down gently kissing him and then pulls him back up to sit on the bench next to her. Neither of them speak for a while. Mulder feeling he has already said everything he has needed to and Scully trying to find the right words to say.

"Mulder, you aren't just saying this or proposing to me because you've finally settle everything about your sister? Because you finally have closure right?"

Mulder just stares at her a little baffled as to why she would ask this question. "Of course not, I've wanted to do this for a long time, and yes, I have found out the truth about Samantha, but the truth that I've really wanted has always been in you Scully, in us, in this" he gestures with his hand to the both of them "what we have. Its what I want, what I've always wanted."

Scully just sat there, thinking about everything. It's not that she never imagined getting married, especially to Mulder, it's just that everything seemed so unreal to her. She couldn't believe that she was sitting here, next to the love of her life, staring at a beautiful engagement ring…she still even had trouble grasping the concept that they had finally crossed that line from partners, to lovers.

The were imperfect people who knew each other's ever flaw and failing, long before they finally figured out that they were meant to be more than friends.

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She remembers it just like it was yesterday…the day that she finally realized that things were beginning to change between them. She came home after being ditched, once again, by Mulder. Not only was she mad about the ditching, but she was also mad that he had woken her up early on a Saturday morning, to steal reference books from the F.B.I. library to dig through what she thought was supposed to be New Mexico obituaries, which in the end turned out to be some baseball thing and box scores and something else that was honestly quite boring. On top of that, he ruined her non-fat tofutti rice dreamsickle that she was actually enjoying, then after throwing clichés at her, ripped out a page from said reference book and left…not even a 'goodbye' or 'see ya later'

So after watching him leave, she left the books on _his_ desk and went shopping with her mom, followed by the ever relaxing mani and pedi. Now, she's home, wanting nothing more than to light a few candles, grab a glass of wine and soak in a long bath, that is, until she sees it. The light on her answering machine blinking. Before she can even stop herself she is walking over to it to listen the message, knowing exactly who it is. She presses the play button and listens for a while…

"Did he just say _Fox Mantle_?" She mutters to no one in particular. "The park? Man, this better not be more baseball stuff" she groans in protest. The bath will have to wait until later, because of course, she is going to go, she is going to follow him. That's what happens between them, he calls, and she comes…She knows exactly why she is doing it now, it is the same reason why she does it all the time, but she doesn't like admitting it to herself, and there is no way she is going to admit it to anyone else…especially this Fox Mantle.

She picks up her keys and heads out the door.

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**Honestly…I have no idea what sparked me to start this…I guess it was listening to "Love Story" a lot and also driving by the park that they filmed **_**The Unnatural**_** at (it is like 5 mins from my house). This is my first try to something that actually has substance compared to my Gossamer stuff that is just plain smut, because hey, I just do what Chris Carter wont allow them to do!!**

**Please review!!**

**K 3**


	2. The Unnatural Field Trip

**Disclaimer: I forgot about this part…they aren't mine. As much as I wish and dream that they might be mine…they aren't. I am not the surfer God Chris Carter.**

**I dedicate this to Julia, because she sat there and listened to me A LOT last night. Oh! And to Lily because she sat there and listened to me complain about the bf and what a jerk-off he is. Then she complained about him too and made me feel better!**

**a/n: I have realized that I write a lot better while I am either a) really sad and depressed or b) drunk. Since I can't exactly be drunk 24/7, and I hate being sad/depressed that means this story is going to take a while…I have a lot of ideas, its just a matter of putting them to good use!**

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**Chapter 2: The Unnatural Field Trip**

So, she told a little white lie. She has played baseball before, she did grow up a tom boy with two brothers after all. Yet, she never played baseball like this, with Mulder's strong arms encircling her, teaching her how to hit a piece of horsehide with a stick. If it weren't for his arms wrapped so tightly around her, she probably would have melted to the floor by now, especially after that little butt wiggle he did when they first started hitting.

"I have always found that if you imagine" he pause for a second to take another swing "that if you imagine the ball is someone else, it tends to go farther"

"Is that right Mulder? Who do you usually think the ball is?"

"Kersch"

Scully's very unladylike snort was his only response.

"So, Scully, thing you've got the hang of it now?"

"Ya, I think so Mulder. Why?"

"I figured that I could just step back and let you hit a couple of balls without me." Truth was, if he stayed behind her for another second he would have ended up embarrassing himself.

"And while I am hitting these balls, what are you going to be doing?"

"I figured I will just step back and watch. Now don't forget Scully, picture the ball as someone or something else, okay?"

"Okay" She wasn't sure if she could handle this, if she hit the balls too well, he might catch her in her little white lie, then again, she could always just call it beginners luck!

"Fire away again poor boy!"

First ball that comes at her, she misses. _Okay, Dana, you can do this, just concentrate. The ball is someone else._ She thought to herself, even though she didn't want to give away the fact that she has played before, she also didn't want it to look like she had no idea what she was doing.

Ball 2 – Looked a lot like Tooms. That one ended up being a foul ball anyway

"Not bad Scully, but try to hit it straight out in front of you okay"

Ball 3 – Phoebe Green. That one went out to center field

Ball 4 – Detective White. Another center fielder

Ball 5 – Donnie Pfaster. She not quite sure, but she thinks that could be called a home run  
Ball 6 – CGB Spender. That one went straight over the fence

Ball 7 – Diana fucking Fowley. Looks like some kid at that house will have a new ball tomorrow.

Ball 8 – Stupid Syndicate that made Emily. Who knows where that one ended up.

Ball 9 – That asshole Padgett and his psychic surgery who almost got her killed. She thinks that one joined the last one

Ball 10 – That damn bee that ruined one of the best moments in her life. She isn't even sure which direction that went.

Ball 11 – Those bastards that left her barren. At the same time she hit the ball, the bat when flying out of her hands and almost hit the poor boy.

It wasn't until she put her head in her hands that she realized that she had started to cry. They next thing that she felt were Mulder's hands holding onto her wrists and pulling them away from her face.

"Scully, I'm so sorry"

"I'm fine Mulder, really. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"No, Scully, I'm sorry that I have caused you so much pain in your life"

She stood there and stared at him for a while, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Mulder, what are you talking about"

"Tooms, Donnie Pfaster, Spender, you being barren" He was going to mention the bee, but figured he would leave that for another discussion later.

It was then that she realized that she had said everything out loud. "Look Mulder, I said don't worry about it, I just did exactly what you told me to do. I guess I just had a lot of things to envision that ball as"

"Not only the ball, but you kind of threw the bat as well. Scared off the poor boy, I didn't even pay him yet!"

She turns around towards the pitchers mound and realizes that the little blonde haired kid is no where in sight. "Oh my God. Was it really that bad?"

"Maybe for an outsider looking in, but I understand what you've been through and why you would be able to channel so much anger into hitting something."

Scully hangs her head, now really embarrassed with what just happened. Mulder reaches out and tips her chin up so that she can look at him.

"Come on Scully, lets get out of here. We can run to the store and I'll buy you another nonfat Tofutti rice dreamsickle, even though the air in my mouth still tastes better then that!"

"I never said you could have any of the last one, so you sure aren't going to be eating this one!" She's trying to really mean it, but she can't help the smile that is playing on her lips.

Mulder bends down ever so slighty and whispers into her ear "We'll see about that G-Woman." He stands back up, reaches out a hand to her "Come on, you can drive and we can just pick up my car later."

"Ever the gentleman now aren't we Mulder?"

"You know it."

She just smiles, taking his hand as they walk to her car.

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It doesn't take long for them to find a store nearby. As they get out of the car, Scully notes that Mulder waits for her and takes her hand again. It's a small gesture, but it feels like a lot more to her. She was afraid that after the whole Diana, decontamination issue and then the Padgett problem that there was starting to be a rift between them. But now, as the walk hand in hand into the grocery store, she finally realizes that this night, the baseball and now the Tofutti dreamsickle is Mulders way of reaching out to her, to let her know things are going to be fine between them.

30 minutes later they come walking out of the store, still hand in hand. Scully decided to forego the dreamsickle and ended up instead with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Fish food, a couple of those cookies 'n cream candy bars and a nice bottle of Merlot. While Mulder ended up with his own pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked and a bag of Spitz Sunflower seeds.

"So…back to my place?" Scully asked while reaching into her pocket for her keys.

"Sure, we could make some popcorn, maybe watch a movie?"

"Popcorn? Mulder? I think I'm already going to bust with what we have!" He looks at her with his most adorable puppy dog look that he can muster. "Fine, we can make popcorn, but _I_ get to pick the movie"

"Fine with me, as long as it isn't a chick flick Scully"

"Of course not! I'm in the mood for a good old fashioned Exorcism!"

They both get into the car and as soon as Scully put the car into drive and laid her right hand on the console between them, Mulder takes it into his, brings it up to his lips and kisses it gently.

"What was that for?" Scully asks a little overwhelmed by this gesture from him.

"Nothing really" he places their encased hands on his lap "I guess just a thank you. For everything. For staying with me, staying beside me, while everyone else has walked away. You have no idea how much it means to me."

Scully is a little taken back by his openness at that moment. All she can do to stop herself from pulling the car over and taking him into her arms right then and there is just smile and take a short glance at him. "You're welcome, Mulder. Even though, you have nothing to thank me for. I feel exactly the same way when it comes to you. Besides, I told you once before that I wouldn't put myself on the line for anyone but you and I'm never going to leave you"

"Thank you." He says barely above a whisper that Scully had to strain to hear him. She glanced at him one more time and he was smiling at her, a site that she hadn't seen in a while.

The rest of the drive to her apartment was made in companionable silence.

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An hour and a half later there was an empty bowl of popcorn, Scully's half eaten ice cream, an empty bottle of Merlot, a half bottle of Chardonnay and two pairs of sock clad feet propped up on Scully's coffee table. While the ending scene of the movie was playing out, Scully's head was resting lightly on Mulder's shoulder, their hands still entwined.

"I can't believe you ate that whole thing of popcorn, finished over half of the Merlot and are still able to eat that ice cream!"

"Well, I'm a growing boy, what else do you expect"

"Mulder, if you grow anymore, I'm going to have to buy stilts just to see your face. And do you have any idea how hard it is to even walk in 3 inch pumps…let alone stilts?"

"What are you saying? That you've walked in stilts before?"

"No what I am saying is that you…are basically a giant" she turns her head to smile and him to let him see that she is joking.

"Why Scully, you wound me. I also think that you have had a little too much wine for yourself. You've drank just as much as I have and you weight about ¼ of what I do!"

"Yessss…." She replies slurring her words just a little. "But what you seem to forget is that this is my apartment. Speaking of apartments, Mulder, its getting kind of late and after how much you have had to drink, I would feel a lot better if _you_ stayed her tonight. You're car will be fine and I will take you to get it tomorrow morning"

"No, it's okay Scully, I can just call a cab and go home and then call another cab to pick it up in the morning. I appreciate the offer though."

She studies him for a couple of seconds and then putting on the saddest puppy dog look of her own she says "please Mulder? Just stay here tonight? I would feel a lot better if you did, and I don't want you to waste any money on a cab, twice, if you don't have to." She bats her eyelashes a couple of times at him.

He can't resist saying no to here when she bats her eyelashes. So he thinks for a couple of seconds and decides to have a little fun. "Okay Scully, but the only way that I am staying is if I get to sleep in the same bed as you! I promise, no funny stuff, I just want to be close to you"

"That's fine with me. But I get the right side of the bed"

And with that last sentence, she gets up, turn off the tv and walks to her room.

"Are you coming or not?" She yells over her shoulder before she reaches her bedroom door.

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It had been 3 weeks. 3 weeks since baseball, and her little trip to Las Vegas with the Lone Gunman, which she still had to kick their asses for. They hadn't played baseball again since that night, but they had a couple of movie nights, at her apartment and a couple at his as well. Each night ending with the other staying and sleeping in the same bed. Scully wasn't exactly sure what was going on between them and what was developing, but she also didn't want to say anything to jinx it.

Truth be told she was scared. Especially after their little incident at Brown Mountain. That was two weeks ago, and after spending a few days in the hospital, they both returned to their respective apartments, alone. To say that she was a little disappointed that she hadn't seen her partner in a week and a half was definitely an understatement. She missed him and she was finding it hard to sleep at night, especially since every time she closed her eyes, the hallucination of him being dead and her walking in his apartment for his wake kept popping back into her head.

Now, it was Friday night, and they had both decided that it would be best if they worked on the case report from the Brown Mountain case and a few others. She was sprawled out on her couch. File folder spread amongst her coffee table, while he was typing away at her desk on her computer. She had been trying to find the right words to say about what had happened and what she had seen 2 weeks ago and figured that the direct approach would be the best way to bring the topic up.

"You were dead." Mulder slowly turns around to face her.

"What did you say?"

"I said that you were dead, Mulder. I went to your wake in your apartment, Skinner was there, as were the Long Gunman. It all felt so real."

"Oh Scully." He could see the tears welling up in her eyes. He walks over to her and pulls her into his arms, her ear resting on his chest so that she can hear his heartbeat. "I know it must have felt real, but it wasn't Scully. I'm here, we are both alive and aside from the slight burns, we are fine"

"That's easy for you to say. You hallucinated about aliens and us agreeing on the same report. I on the other hand…" She trailed off, not able to speak the words again.

"I know, I know" he says while stroking her back hoping that this intimate gesture will comfort her.

"It was too close. Mulder, it's always too close. I am just waiting for the day when it's finally going to happen. When either of us don't make it."

"Scully, you can't think like that. You can't live you life thinking that the next case we do on will be our last, okay? What matters is the here and now. That we are okay and most importantly, we still have each other."

She pulls back slightly, looking into his hazel eyes. His eyes that say so much when he looks at her. She knows that deep down everything will be okay, and he will always make sure they make it out okay.

"Promise me" she says.

He doesn't need to know what she's talking about, looking at her he always knows what she is thinking. "I promise, Scully. I promise you that we will always be okay." He leans down and gently kisses her. It's a chaste kiss, but it is filled with promise.

"Are you going to stay her tonight?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

"On the couch?"

"Actually, I would feel a lot better if you were next to me."

"Okay, why don't you go get ready and I'll just clean up a little here and be right in."

"Okay" she says and walks of to the bedroom.

He saves the document on the computer, turns it off, checks the locks on the doors and turns off the light. By the time he gets into the bedroom she is already laying down under the covers. He walks over to _his_ side of the bed, removes his shoes, socks, pants and shirt and climbs in next her.

She scoots back into him and he wraps his arms around her, one under her head, the other around her waist.

"Mulder?"

"Yes Scully?"

"Thank you" she whispers

"Anytime" he replies as he closes his eyes and breaths in the fragrance of her hair. He is unsure of what the future will bring for them, but he knows that no matter what happens, he will always be there for her. To protect her, and keep her safe.

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**a/n II: I know that was kind of long…but I just had too many ideas and ya…it just kinda ran away from me actually. Anyway, don't forget to review please!**

**K 3**


	3. The Sixth Biogenesis

**Disclaimer: Still naht mine…which I honestly think is kind of gay!!**

**a/n: I have realized that living in my own little world has always been better then living in reality…like, you know, believing that Scully was never barren and her and Mulder have been getting it on secretly since like season 4. Or that season 9 never happened and she never gave up baby William. Yea, if only those things were true.**

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**Chapter 3: The Sixth Biogenesis**

When Scully got the call that Mulder was in the hospital, she told herself not to panic. She also cursed herself and him for not letting her schedule him an imaging scan. The last time she spoke with him though, he sounded fine. Well, kind of. He sounded exhausted to be honest and then there was that woman who answered his phone. She prayed that it wasn't who she thought it was. With everything going on, she wasn't quite sure if she would be able to handle having Diana Fowley added into the mix again, especially when things were finally going right between her and Mulder.

She was tired, irritated and it took her 3 flights to get from New Mexico, to Maryland, so she wasn't in the greatest of moods. Walking into the entrance and asking the receptionist where she could find one Fox Mulder, she was stunned to find out he is in the Special Psychiatric Unit. _He finally cracked _she thinks as she turns the corner and sees Skinner sitting in a chair.

"They just told me he's in the special psychiatric unit." She says as she approaches him.

"I told you on the phone…" she cuts him off mid sentence.

"No, you said there was bad news, you didn't tell me what was wrong." She says a little too harshly. "I'm sorry, it just took me 3 flights to get here."

"I don't know what to do dana, no one else does either. I knew you'd want to be here to see him, to talk to the doctors."

He takes her hand in his

"What." It comes out as a whisper. "What is it?" Skinner doesn't respond, he just leads her down the hall and into a monitoring room. She walks in and tries to ignore the fact that Diana Fowley is standing in front of the monitors.

"Thank you for coming, he was asking for you last night." Suddenly Scully feels her stomach turn into knots. _Last night? What was she doing with him last night? _Scully doesn't say anything, she just stares at the monitors trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Skinner and Diana both stare at Scully, waiting for some kind of response. "You really shouldn't be in here." Mulder's doctor opens the door and walks in.

"What's wrong with him? This man, Fox Mulder" Scully says as she points to his monitor. Suddenly Mulder screams and stares right into the camera above him, Scully stares at him, her heart breaking for him.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with him and we don't know what to do for him. He's got extremely abnormal brain function, but there's no signs of stroke. We're waiting to run more tests."

"Waiting for what?"

"He's extremely violent. With what we've given him, he should be in a barbiturate coma, but there's brain activity in areas we've never seen before."

"I wanna talk to him."

"No, he's a danger to anyone."

"Not to me." She knows that it's the truth. Mulder may be violent towards everyone else, but she's been put in situations with him before where she has realized he will never hurt her.

"Can we speak out in the hall?" She glances at Diana, she really doesn't feel like dealing with her right now.

"About what?" She makes sure that she keeps the annoyed tone in her voice. Diana just stares at her.

"Agent Scully," She turns and looks at Skinner, she doesn't want to leave Mulder.

"Scully!!" She turns around to look at the monitor, he knows she's there. Of course he knows, she always comes for him when he needs her.

"Scully! Don't trust her Scully, don't trust her. She's working against us!" She keeps staring at the monitor, tears are forming in her eyes. She has to see him.

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After walking away from Skinner and Diana, she realizes that Mulder is right, you can't trust Diana, but she can't trust Skinner now either. She walks down the hall of the hospital, looking for his doctor. "Excuse me" She says as she finally sees him standing outside of Mulder's room.

"Yes? You're here for Mr. Mulder right?"

"Yes, I am his partner, Dana Scully," she opens her badge for him, "I'm also his doctor, and I have his power of attorney."

He gives he an apologetic smile, "I understand that Agent Scully, but my concern is only for you're well being, I cannot allow you to go into his room."

"I appreciate your concern, but this isn't your decision. Now, can you please open the door." It isn't so much a statement, as it is a demand.

He turned to the orderly standing next to him and motioned for him to go ahead and open the door. "We will be right here if anything happens."

She looked at him and gave him a slight smile. When she walked inside the padded cell, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying. He looked miserable, he was sitting on the floor, facing away from her, his legs were pulled up to his chest and his head was resting on them.

"Mulder?" she said barely above a whisper. When he didn't respond, she tried again. "Mulder?" This time, she said it a little louder, his head lifted and he turned to face her.

"Scully?"

"Yes, it's me Mulder." She took a couple of steps closer to him, and then sat on her knees. He crawled over to her, closing the distance between them and pulled her to his chest.

"Scully, you have to help me." He choked out. "It's the, the artifact, I hear things, Scully."

"I know, I know Mulder." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to do everything I can to help you, okay?"

He pulled away from her and put his hands on both of her cheeks. "You're going away though, right?"

She stared at him for a couple of seconds and then closed her eyes, "yes, in order for me to figure this out, I have to go to where it all started. I have to go to Africa, okay?"

He nodded his head, understanding why she needed to do what she was doing. "Promise me, promise me you will help me, Scully."

This time she didn't try to hold back the tears, as one rolled down her cheek, he wiped it away with his thumb. "I promise, Mulder. I will do whatever I can to help you. If you need me, for anything, you know I will drop everything and come for you, okay?"

He stared into her deep blue eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. "Thank you." He says and he leans in and kisses her.

She stays that way for a couple of seconds, savoring the sensation of his lips on hers. When they break the kiss, she gives him a smile, then pulls away from him, gets up and walks out of his room.

Out in the hall, his doctor just stares at her. "If anything happens, I am the first one that you get a hold of, okay? Before I leave, I will give you the information on how to contact me."

"Yes, of course Agent Scully." She turns to walk away from him, but he stops her. "How, I mean, how did you do that? Everyone that has went in there, he has been aggressive towards."

She smiles ruefully at him, "like I said, he's not a danger to me."

With that, she turns on her heel and walks to her car.

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**a/n II: I know, I know, that was really short and I haven't updated in a really long time, but I had a lot of trouble writing this…even though **_**Biogenesis**_**, **_**The Sixth Extinction**_** & **_**Amor Fati**_** are my second favorite season finale/premiere I dislike the fact that there isn't **_**that**_** much interaction between M&S, but I think they episodes were beautifully done. Even though, as you can tell, there are certain things that I wish would have been in the episode. Anyway, the next chapter is almost done, so hopefully it'll be up soon!**

**Don't forget to review!!**

**K 3**


	4. Amor Fati

**Disclaimer: My daddy once told me that I can play with whoever I want…I choose Mulder and Scully!!! So please don't sue Mr. Surfer Man.**

**a/n: You pretty much know what goes on in **_**The Sixth Extinction**_**, so that's why I didn't write anything for it…plus, there is NO M&S interaction…whatsoever, except for the very last scene…so it just starts from there. Oh! And as for **_**Amor Fati**_**, I hope you know what happens in that episode (come on…it has a lot of peoples favorite shipper moment in it!) so I just added some stuff that fits with my story!**

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**Chapter 4: Amor Fati**

Her flight from the Ivory Coast was long. 23 hours to be exact. When she got back, she had to see him, needed to see him. She walked into his room, trying not to break down just from the sight of him, strapped to his bed. _How many times?_ She asks herself, _how many times have we been here, in this same situation?_

"Mulder, it's me." She says as she reaches his bedside and leans down a little. "I know that you can hear me. If you could just give me some sign." She waits a little, looking for some sort of reaction out of him. "I want you to know where I've been, what I've found. I think that if you know, that you could find a way to hold on." Her voice begins to break as her eyes start filling with tears. "I need you to hold on." She pauses, trying to find the right words to say, to tell him where she has been. "I found a key, _the _key, to every question that has ever been asked. It's a puzzles, but the pieces are there for us to put together. And I know that they can save you, if you just hold on. Mulder?" She grabs his hand, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. "Please. Hold on." Her voice is just barely above a whisper. Anyone else would have to strain to hear her…but he hears her, he hears everything.

As she stands next to his bedside, still holding his hand, she pleads with him to hold on. Hold on, for her sake. She wants so badly to find a cure, to save him, to bring him back to her.

_We were just starting to figure things out, Mulder. Things between us were changing. Please hold on…I love you _she thinks to herself. For a while, she lets her mind wander back to the conversation her and Mulder had a week ago…the one about the next case possibly being their last. _You promised me, Mulder. You promised me that you will always make sure we make it out okay, you better not break your promise._ She leans down, gently kisses his forehead, his cheek, and then his lips. When she stands back up, she takes one more look at him and turns and walks away.

***********************

Back at her apartment, she can't sleep. Not with the thought of what is going on with Mulder in her head. Finally, after 30 minutes of tossing and turning she gets out of bed. She checks the clock and sees that it is a little past 1. She can't sit around and do nothing, while he lays in a hospital, helpless. She gets up, takes another quick shower, puts on her suit and heads back to work.

Once she arrives to the Hoover building, she heads straight down to the basement and pulls out her laptop. She opens up the files that she has saved on it, the ones with the pictures of the rubbings. She pulls her notes out of her briefcase and gets back to work decoding the strange set of symbols on each page. The work is painstaking, this she knows, but she also knows that there has to be something within these rubbings that will give her an idea on how to treat Mulder, on how to save him and bring him back to her.

She's not sure what time it is, or how long she has been asleep, but what she knows for sure is that she does not like the fact that Kritschgua is in their office.

"How did you get in here?" She asks, she's done being nice as far as she is concerned.

"Getting in is easy, it's what you do once you are inside, is what's key." He replies, as he walks around the desk.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You are the only one with access to Mulder. I need you to use it wisely."

"Like you? Almost killing him by shooting him full of Phenytoin for a few moments of lucidity?"

"It's what Agent Mulder wanted, he knows what's wrong. What he wants now is to prove it, it's why he asked for me, not you."

She is not sure whether she should be made or hurt by that statement, but she knows that what he is saying isn't true. "I don't believe that."

"Two years ago your partner was infected with a virus he claimed was alien, a virus reactivated in him by exposure to a source of energy, also alien. Agent Mulder is living proof of what he tried so long to substantiate, the existence of alien life."

"But whatever it is, it's killing him and we have to get it out of him."

He leans towards her as he says "You destroy this and I'll destroy you."

Just then, the phone rings. He stares at her for a couple of more seconds and then turns and walks out the door.

"Scully." She says as she answers it.

"Agent Scully, you need to go to the hospital." It's Skinner and whatever he is about to say, she knows that it can't good.

"What? Why? What happened?"

"Mulder's gone, he disappeared."

***********************

Now, she is not only faced with trying to save his life, but also trying to find him. She has called his mother countless times and still hasn't gotten a response from her. Then, she receives this book, a book that has the answers to everything she has been trying to figure out. She is starting to feel even more lost than she was before. She has no one to turn to now, no one to trust. Is this how Mulder felt when he first met her, fighting a battle against the world, alone?

Now, Albert Hosteen wanted her to pray. Praying was the last thing on her mind in a time like this. Especially after everything that she had seen in Africa, questioning her faith once again. Could it really be true, we were put here by the aliens? She couldn't not believe it, for once, there was proof, and it stared her right in the face. Of course, Mulder was no where to be found to see that she was actually becoming a believer.

As she got down on her knees with Albert Hosteen and she didn't know where to start. The only thing that she could think of was to pray that she would get some sign, some _thing_ pointing her in the right direction to find Mulder.

***********************

She woke to a pain in her side and her feet hurting. As she slowly opened her eyes, she realized that she was still in her living room and she was on the floor. When she stood up, her eyes searched out the clock, but fell towards the floor and noticed an envelope by it. With her keys still in her hands, she walked over and picked it up. Opening the envelope she pulled out a keycard, she flipped it over, noting that it went to the department of defense. _Mulder_ she thought. She somehow knew this was a sign, from who, she was uncertain, but she knew that she had to get to him and fast.

***********************

One Week Later

When she found out about Diana's death, she didn't know how to react. Should she be happy that this woman was no longer a factor in the troubles between her and Mulder, or should she feel bad because she knew Diana was Mulder's friend and she helped save his life. But most importantly, how does she tell Mulder?

Walking down his hallway to his apartment, she doesn't know how to feel. They butchered him, cut into him like he was some test subject, just like Gibson Praise. Too many things have happened within the past two weeks that have thrown everything upside down, she doesn't know how to feel or what to do.

She reaches his door and knocks, her special knock so he knows that it's her.

"Scully, what are you doing here?" He asks when he opens the door, he then speaks before she can respond. "Actually, I was just getting dressed to come see you, but I…I couldn't find a tie to go with my victory cap."

"Mulder, no work." She says as she takes the cap off of his head. "You have to go back to bed." She finishes as she reaches for his tie.

"Oh, wait, the tie goes to the runner." He jokes as he grabs it back from her, he laughs at his joke, as she smiles at him.

"Scully, I um…I was coming down…to work to tell you that Albert Hosteen is dead. He died last night in New Mexico. He'd been in a coma for two weeks. There was... no way he could have been in your apartment."

"He was there-- we... we prayed together. Mulder, I don't believe that. I... I don't believe it. It's impossible."

"Is it any more impossible than what you saw in Africa or what you saw in me?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore. Mulder, I was so determined to find a cure to save you that I could deny what it was that I saw and now I don't even know... I don't know... I don't know what the truth is ... I don't know who to listen to. I don't know who to trust." She pauses, taking a deep breath before she tells him what she came to his apartment for. "Diana Fowley was found murdered this morning. I never trusted her... but she helped save your life just as much as I did. She gave me that book. It was her key that led me to you. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I know she was your friend."

She moves closer to him and they embrace. "Scully, I was like you once-- I didn't know who to trust. Then I... I chose another path... another life, another fate, where I found my sister. The end of my world was unrecognizable and upside down. There was one thing that remained the same." He pulls back slightly, cupping her face in his hands. "You... were my friend, and you told me the truth. Even when the world was falling apart, you were my constant... my touchstone."

"And you are mine." She says, barely above a whisper.

Their faces move close together and she kisses him on the forehead. They pull slightly apart, still touching and she puts his ball cap back on his head and cups his face in her hands. They look at each other with every bit of trust, friendship, respect, love, and everything else they have for each other. She then trails her hands down his face, touching his lips gently with her thumbs and leaves. Mulder stands in the doorway and closes his eyes. The vision of him and the boy on the beach comes back to him again. As he stands there, listening to elevator close he turns around and goes back inside his apartment

Once he goes back inside, he reaches for his abandoned cell phone on his coffee table. He punches in the familiar number and waits for the other end to pick up.

"Scully?"

"Hey Scully, it's me."

She giggles a little. "Mulder, I'm still outside of your building, do you miss me already?"

"Tons." He says as he laughs a little. "Actually, I forgot to ask you while you were here if you wanted to go out tonight after you were done with work?"

The smile that was already on her face grew bigger. "You mean like a date Mulder?" She asks jokingly.

"Uh, ya…I mean like a date." He stutters a little and she realizes that he is totally serious. She stands there, in front of his apartment building…stunned.

"Umm…okay, Mulder. You've got yourself a date." She says as she hears him let out the breath he was holding in. She can see the smile that is plastered on to his face through the phone.

"I'll see you at 7?"

"7 it is." She hangs up the phone and then blushes a little as she walks to her car, realizing that she will be going on a date with Mulder, their first date.

_It only took him 7 years _she thinks as she gets into her car and drives back to the Hoover building.

***********************

**So…did that totally suck?? Because I feel like it did. I'm still on my little high from Saturday, because I was standing 3ft from GILLIAN FUCKING ANDERSON!!! Ya, she came to the book signing in Hollywood and she's adorable. Everyone was speechless because it was such a big surprise to see her there!! I was the first to notice she was standing behind all of us and I believe my exact words were "Why the fuck is Gillian Anderson here?" Then everyone scatters and finds their cameras...PRICELESS!! If you haven't seen the photos yet, go to xfilesnews. com or join the network at biglight to get in on all the action!! Oh and her shoes were incredibly cute!! I'm jealous because she always has cute shoes.**

**It was amazing and I'm still in awe :-)**

**Don't forget to review!!**

**K 3**


	5. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Fox Mulder or Dana Scully, they belong to our surfer God Chris Carter, "Uncle" Frank, the amazingly beautiful Gillian Anderson, the hottie with the body David Duchovny, Tenthirteen Productions, and 20****th**** Century Fox.**

**a/n: I know that I don't have to keep putting up a disclaimer…I just like thinking of funny things to say…well, they are funny to me at least. Anyhow…here is chapter 5!! So, I really wanted to get this up a week ago…but I got really busy. Life tends to get in the way like that sometimes. This is a strong T…be warned!!**

**I also forgot, I am trying to do certain things on my livejournal and am having difficulties, so if anyone is an LJ pro and could answer some questions for me, I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks!**

**Now, on with the wonderful love that is Mulder and Scully!**

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**Chapter 5: New Beginnings**

To say that Scully was nervous was an understatement. _It's just Mulder_, she thinks to herself as she steps out of his elevator and heads to his door. _Yes, but it's a_ date, _with Mulder_. She audibly sighs as she reaches his door and knocks her special knock for the second time that day.

It takes him a second to answer the door and when he does, he is rendered speechless. Scully is wearing a deep purple, knee length dress. It is sleeveless, and cut very low with a considerable amount of cleavage showing, tied at the waist with a thin matching ribbon. He looks her up and down one more time before looking back at her face. "Hey" he finally chokes out with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Hey, yourself." She says as she walks into his apartment. She turns when she feels his hand grab her arm and she raises her eyebrow questioningly. He smiles as he leans forward and presses a light kiss to her lips. When he pulls away she smiles back at him. She was a little worried that after the last couple of weeks things would have been ruined for both of them, but with that small gesture, she reassures herself that everything is going to be okay. "So, where are we going, Mulder?"

"I was thinking that we could go to that little Mexican restaurant called Casa Sanchez? We've never been there before and I heard it's supposed to be really good and it's right down the street, the weather is perfect right now to walk." He says as he walks over to his closet to pull out his jacket. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. I am just glad to see that you are feeling better, so whatever you want to eat is fine with me." She walks over to him and helps him put on his jacket, when he turns around to face her, she straightens his tie.

"That reminds me, thank you, Scully. For rescuing me and staying with me in the hospital. You always save my butt."

She smiles lovingly up at him. "What would you do without me, Mulder?"

He smiles back and takes her hand as he pulls her to his front door. "C'mon, I'm hungry." He opens the door for her and follows her out into the hall, then turns around to lock his apartment door. When he turns back to her, she is still smiling, so he takes her hand again and laces their fingers together while leading her to the elevator.

***********************

Casa Sanchez was a little family owned restaurant. It was very packed, but Mulder and Scully didn't have to wait too long to get seated. They were seated in the far corner, Scully was staring at the different Aztec paintings that decorated the walls. "I like this place" she says as she sips on her strawberry margarita "we should come here more often." She looks up at Mulder and flashes a smile at him.

"I think that you are absolutely right. It's good to see you smile, Scully, you should do it more often."

"Well, I guess now I have a lot to smile about." She says as she reaches over and takes his hand. "You're alive, Mulder and for that I am very happy."

"Of course I am alive…did you think you would be able to get rid of me that easily?" He lightly teases as his makes circles on her hand with his thumb. "But seriously, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"Not just me, I did have help."

"Yes, but it was your determination that saved me, that always saves me." He grasps her hand in both of his. "I don't know where I would be without you, Scully. You have always been my constant, my touchstone, like I told you. I know that when it comes down to it, you are everything that I need." He lifts her hand up to her lips and kisses her knuckles, when he looks into her eyes, he sees the tears that are forming there.

"The one thing that I don't understand though," she says as she slowly pulls her hand away from him, "is why you dreamed what you did."

"Well, I've been thinking about that, and I realized that in this dream, there was something I always felt I was missing, like a part of me was gone and I could never get it back. It wasn't until I was on my death bed that I realized what it was. You, Scully, it was you. I felt as if there was this hole inside my heart and when my Dream Scully came to me and called me all of these things and told me that I traded everything for creature comforts, my cause that I have worked so hard for, I realized that I need you more than either you or I even realize. Scully, I, I…" He gets cut off by the waitress coming over to take their orders.

Scully has a feeling she knows what Mulder was about to say, but she doesn't want him to say it in the confines of this restaurant, so, before he could say anything more, she starts talking. "Well, I am just glad that you are okay. I was worried that they would have butchered you, but they didn't and aside from your white bandage," she says as she leans over the table and ruffles his hair, "you are still the same Mulder."

Mulder didn't hear the last part of her sentence, because just as she leaned over the table, she gave him the perfect view of her cleavage. He had been trying not to stare the whole night, but he couldn't help himself. As he let his eyes linger there for a while, Scully looked down to see what he was looking at and she realized she was giving him a free show.

She pulled back into her seat, and cleared her throat. Mulder's eyes immediately snapped back up to hers as he begins to blush slightly knowing that he is caught. "I'm sorry, it's just when you put them out there like that, how do you expect me not to stare?"

She knows that he is right, that's why she wore the dress, she wanted to get his attention. "Well, maybe later I will give you a full show." She says as she winks at him, she notices that he starts to blush even more. She doesn't know what is wrong with her, or why she is being more open with him now then before. She guesses that she just feels more comfortable around him now.

"I'm going to have to hold you to that Agent Scully."

***********************

The rest of their dinner was spent with the occasional joke or innuendo said to one another. Mulder wasn't exactly sure what was going on with Scully, but he was happy to see her smile the way she was. As they left the restaurant and headed back to his apartment, he once again grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. This need to be physically connected to her was greater than usual, after this last near-death experience for him, he knows that it is time to be completely honest with her. He knows that they need to be completely honest with each other.

"Hey, Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder?" She turns her head to look at him as they continue walking.

"I think that we need to talk."

"What do we need to talk about?"

He stops walking and pulls her around to face him. "Us, we need to talk about us. Things have been changing for us over the past couple of months and I know that you've noticed it too." She looks down, suddenly interested in his shoes, so he takes his finger and nudges her chin to make her meet his eyes. "That night, before cancer-man took me, I heard what you were thinking…I love you too, Scully. You know that, but what you don't know is that I just can't just be your friend anymore, or your partner. I don't want to be that guy who you occasionally spend the night with in the same bed and not be able to touch you. I want all of you."

She stares at him for a couple of seconds, tears forming in her eyes, trying to find the right words to say. She has fought her feelings for so long for him, held back so many urges that she has had, but now, he's laying it all out on the line for her to know. "I want those same things, Mulder, but I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm not scared. I am, I'm terrified. I can't lose you, I don't know how I would ever be able to deal with it. We have had too many close calls."

"I promised you that we will always make it out okay. You know that I would do anything for you, I would go to the ends of the earth to save you, I have gone to the ends of the earth to save you. I love you more than anything."

"I know you do Mulder." She reaches up behind him and pulls his head down to hers. The kiss is slow, passionate, he pulls her closer and wraps his arms around her waste, deepening the kiss. Her arms go around his neck and tangle into his hair, he groans a little as she realizes that she is putting pressure on his bandage and reminds herself of his stitches. She pulls away she stares deep into his eyes, memorizing everything all over again. "C'mon, lets get you home, I have to change that bandage of yours." She pulls away from him and this time, she's the one who laces their fingers together as they head back to his apartment.

***********************

Once back at his apartment, Mulder takes off his jacket and kicks off his shoes. He heads over to his couch as he sees Scully head towards his bathroom to get the things she needs to clean his stitches. When she walks back into the living room, he is sitting with his head on the back of the couch and his eyes closed. She slips off her heels and walks over to the couch, she kneels on side of him and slowly peels the bandage off of his head. As she begins to examine his head, she can't help but once again think about their close calls.

"Too close." She whispers. Mulder turns his head to study her, he notices the tears that are once again forming.

"Oh, Scully, you need to stop thinking like that. C'mere." He says and he pulls her towards him to where she is sitting sideways on his lap. He looks down at her and kisses her forehead gently. She sighs as she buries her head into his chest.

"I know, you're right. Too much has happened recently, too much for me to grasp at and understand though. My faith, is one example. Then there is you…" she looks up at him as he brush a hair away from her face. "God, Mulder, I-I, your touchstone? Really?"

"You fill in all the missing parts of me. I need your spirituality to balance my…my…whatever the hell it is that I have. I need your skepticism to balance my quest for the truth, you make me work for everything, you keep me honest. Without you, Scully, there would always be something missing inside me. You have my heart."

They met in the middle, the kiss was tender and soft. Scully gasped in pure pleasure and Mulder took the advantage of the opportunity to slip his tongue just inside her mouth, tasting her. She moved, just enough to rub her cheek across his. Mulder moved his mouth along her jaw and down her neck, placing light kisses as he went. She moved just a little to where she was straddling him now, her arms coming around his neck as he continued to make his way down her collarbone. She made a small moaning sound as he hit a spot right above her left breast. Mulder pulled away and studied her. She could see her shy smile reflected in the widened pupils of his eyes. As if reading her mind, he leaned forward and kissed her once more.

"I would sell my soul," he murmurs on her lips "to make love to you."

"mmm," she says as she takes his bottom lip between both of hers, and sucks on it gently. "Are you telling me that I am going to have to pay you, to get you to make love to me?"

"Well, not if you are willing to." She kisses him again, this time making the kiss deeper and pushing him farther back on the back of the couch. Mulder's hands were on her hips, slowly making their way down and under the hem of her dress. As soon as his hands touched her thighs, Scully ground her hips down onto his, she could already feel him.

"Anxious much?" She questions breathlessly as she pulls away from him.

"Scully, you have no idea. I am planning on finishing something that started between us all those years ago when you walked into my basement office." She laughs as he leans forward and stands up with her in his arms. She tightens her hold on him so that she won't fall as he makes his way to bedroom. He gently lays her down on the bed as he pulls away and stares at her. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are Scully?"

"Every time you look at me like that Mulder." She pulls him back down to her by his tie and kisses him once again. Her hands quickly remove his tie and starts undoing the buttons on his shirt. She slips her hands under the shirt as he breaks the kiss and pushes it over his shoulders. She throws the shirt over him and starts to work on his belt, as hi unzips the side of her dress. She arches her back so that he can pull it over her head.

He pulls back to look at her once more, "God, Scully." He reaches behind her and undoes the clasps of her bra, then slowly drags the straps down her shoulders. She finally unzips his pants and he pulls them off of himself and throws them to the floor. They both just stare at each other, in awe that it has taken them so long to get to this point.

"So," she manages to exhale, "this is the proverbial _IT_."

"So it is. Any last requests?" He says as his hands start to play at the line of her panties.

"Yes. Don't stop."

He smiles down at her. That sweet sexy smile that she knows is reserved just for her. He bends down and kisses her, slow and passionately as his hands discard the remainder of their clothing. Coming together in this much of an intimate way is natural for them. It's as if it is a cosmic rightness, two soul mates intimately joined physically as they were spiritually.

***********************

She lays there, in the dark of his room, wrapped tightly in his arms. His shallow breathing tells her that he is lost in sleep. She snuggles closer into his chest and inhales him, her, the scent of them. It a new scent, one that she never wants to lose. She places a light kiss on his chest as her hands lightly trail along his face. He shivers a little and then slowly opens his eyes. He looks at her, a look that is filled with so much love, she thinks she may cry.

"Hey" he says sleepily.

"Hi." She whispers back.

"What are you doing awake?"

"I couldn't sleep. I was just laying here, thinking."

"It seems you've been doing that a lot lately." He slightly rolls onto his side to look at her.

"I have, but these are good thoughts. Thoughts about you and me."

"And you've came to a conclusion."

"Yes, I have." She pauses for a moment as she reaches up and brushes the hair on his forehead out of the way. She lets her hand linger on his cheek. "I love you, Mulder. More than you know."

He stares at her, looks deep into her eyes and what he sees there is years of trust, friendship and love. She leans towards him and lightly kisses him. His arms go around her once more, pulling her on top of him. "You have no idea how long I have waited for you to say that. I love you too." He cups her face between both of his hands and kisses her.

***********************

**Mulder gazes at Scully…I don't care what he says…that's why I put in there that he stops to look at her a lot. Lol. Anyway, I really wanted this chapter to be great, but, I think I overanalyzed it too much. I'm not too happy about this chapter, but if I kept thinking about it more than I was, I would just ruin it more.**

**Oh! Casa Sanchez is a real place by my house…I know the owners…the food is amazing and the margaritas are huge, cheap and FULL of tequila!! Mmmm…I went there yesterday for my b'day. lol**

**Please review **

**K 3**


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